Our Hearts Ablaze
by The Flame and Hawk's Eye
Summary: A series of one-shots using the prompts for Royai Week 2016. Day 1: Warmth. "After all, he was a man with fire in his veins."
1. Fire In His Veins

**A/N:** _Here is the first of a set of seven one-shots revolving around the prompts set for Royai Week 2016: Warmth, Color, Stars, Forgotten, Music, Ignite, Choices. 6 or the 7 will be posted here, while 'Ignite,' a Rated 'M' work, will be posted separately._

 _Once this week is over I will get back to posting for my other fics, with 'Engraved' and 'Expect the Unexpected' at the top of my list. I hope you enjoy!_

* * *

"Thank you again for letting me stay the night," Riza acknowledged as she stepped out of Roy's bathroom, wearing nothing but an oversized sweater of his and a loose pair of his shorts. "I still can't believe my building failed to notify me about the boiler breaking."

As she stepped into the kitchen to stir the pot of hot chocolate they had set on the sstove, Roy turned away from the fire he was building and shot her a sympathetic grin. "I know you've talked about moving out before. Do you think this is the final straw?"

"Probably," she replied with a mild huff. "They've already increased rent without informing me first and have taken issue with Hayate living there, despite the fact that he's been nothing but a model canine citizen. Though I'm sure if I break the lease early they won't hesitate to charge me a fortune."

"Well, you could always move into this building. The rates are still fairly reasonable. I heard a couple of apartments will be vacant in the next couple of months."

"I may have to consider that," she answered as she took the steaming pot off the stove and poured its contents into two mugs she had retrieved from a cupboard. Once she had filled them nearly to capacity, she opened another cupboard and produced a small bag of round, fluffy white balls. After taking a small handful of marshmallows from the bag, she sprinkled them into the two mugs before grabbing them each by the handles, lifting them carefully away from the counter.

Lightly stepping over a sleeping Black Hayate and a few of his favorite canine possessions, she padded over to Roy and offered him one of the two mugs in her hands. After he accepted it, she eased herself down beside him, taking care not to spill the piping hot beverage all over him or herself.

Leaning forward, he set his mug on the opposite side of him and grabbed the fire-poker, and proceeded to shift and prod the logs he had set inside the fireplace. Once they were in what she assumed was an optimal position for him, he dug an ignition glove out of his pocket and slid it over his hand. With one quick snap a spark sprang from his fingertips and danced through the air to the logs. A beat later the dry logs snatched it and began to smoke.

After pulling off the glove, Roy pocketed it and grabbed his steaming mug before leaning into Riza's side. She, in turn, nestled her head onto his shoulder and let out a content sigh.

She could barely remember the last time the two of them had a night like this. In fact, only time she _could_ recall was when he had been her father's apprentice, during a particularly cold night where even their freestanding stove was not enough to warm her childhood home. Her father had retired to his room early that night, seemingly unaffected by the bitter cold. Riza remembers thinking that it was because he had 'fire in his blood,' resulting in him never having a cold spell. She knew that the notion was silly, but sometimes she truly believed it since she, as opposed to him, had difficulty getting warm. And because of that, she couldn't help but think that that was the reason she was never able to master her father's art…

Roy lit the fire that night despite her pleas not to, that her father discouraged the use of their home's fireplace when the stove was in use. He simply shook his head and said that if her father had any gripes that he would take the blame because he too was cold, though she knew it was a lie. Like her father, Roy seemed to have that fire running through his veins. Because while she was huddled on the floor with a comforter, he was content to sit next to her, close enough to where their shoulders just barely touched. And even then he still felt warmer than her.

Looking back, she should have realized then that he would be the one to inherit Flame Alchemy. But maybe she _had_ realized it in the deepest depths of her mind and held onto the notion until the day he revealed his ambitions to her. Because thinking back to it, she had admitted readily that she carried the secrets of Flame Alchemy with her in front of her father's grave. As though she had made her decision long before their conversation…

She remembers how warm his fingers felt against her skin as they traced tepid lines over the marked secrets her father had left behind. How softly he had spoken to her and how gentle he had been, as though he were paying her his respects rather than the notes. Their time deciphering the notes ended too soon, and before she realized it he left, taking with him their dreams and aspirations for a better world. After that, however, she too found herself drawn to that path and in turn joined the military as well.

But then, just before she had been set to graduate, she was called to the front lines. And there she found herself disillusioned, realizing that everything they had been told about the Ishvalan War had been a lie. Because it was not just a war.

It was a _massacre_.

And amongst those responsible for the senseless slaughter of the Ishvalan people, as decreed by Order 3022, was the legendary 'Flame Alchemist.' Or as she had known him formally in her youth: 'Mr. Mustang.'

The moment their eyes met, she realized that the warmth that his eyes once held had dimmed and had become cold. Though she kept her expression impassive the moment their eyes met, on the inside her mind was reeling. Because like her, he too had lost his innocence… And dreams.

Or at least, so she had thought.

On one particularly painful night, she remembers leaving the 'comfort' of her tent to sit by the edge of their encampment to calm her mind. Once there, she discovered that she wasn't alone. Instead of the cold-eyed alchemist she had expected the moment she realized who it was, she was instead greeted by the eyes of a boy she had known a long time ago. A boy whose ideals matched her own.

A boy with fire in his veins.

Though she would not readily reveal it to him, she was relieved that the boy seated beside her was still there. That his warmth was still ever present in the man he had become.

The two of them remained there, seated just close enough for their shoulders to touch, for the rest of the cold desert night. And, like the times where he had been her father's apprentice, his warmth was palpable.

After that the war had ended, but their interconnected journey, their bond forged by flame, was far from over. From the moment he had asked her to follow him, Riza knew that her role was not simply to follow, but to preserve that warmth. To make sure that it remained, and that he stayed on the path and achieved dreams they had both dedicated their lives to.

And now, sitting beside the man she had given everything to, she couldn't help but notice that the chill that had settled in her bones had almost entirely been expunged. Though, then again, she shouldn't have been too surprised. After all, he _was_ a man with fire in his veins.

"What are you thinking about," Roy asked softly, breaking through her thoughts as he draped his free arm around her hip and pulled her closer to himself.

She hummed contently, lifting the cup of hot cocoa to her lips to hide behind it the faint flush that found its way onto her cheeks. "Just thinking about how warm you are."


	2. Rose-colored Lips

A/N: Here's my contribution for the second prompt, "Color." Thank you for the review, favorites, and follows! I hope you enjoy!

* * *

The moment Roy Mustang finished scrawling his signature onto the dotted line beneath the report he had been working on, he promptly dropped his pen and sighed, closing his eyes as he leaned back in his chair and tipped his head back. After another grueling week of nonstop meetings and reports, he was ready to welcome the weekend, despite the fact it would be just as fast-paced as the week it trailed.

Though Roy couldn't be happier with the notion.

Because instead of a Friday night mission similar to the ones his team had been assigned to for the past month, the night that would begin in just a matter of hours would consist of drinks, dancing, and fine dining. He had never been one to get too overly excited about the annual ball hosted by Eastern Command, but what he found this time around was that he actually was. Though he mainly attributed it to the fact that he had been given a sneak preview of a gown a certain blonde Lieutenant would don…

"Yo, Colonel."

Exhaling slowly, he slowly opened his eyes and found Second Lieutenant Breda standing beside his desk. When he noticed that he had gotten his superior officer's attention, Breda pointed at the color of his shirt and said, "You got a little something right there."

He wrinkled his brow. Roy could have sworn that the shirt he had grabbed that morning from the chair in his bedroom, though slightly wrinkled, had been clean. Reaching up rather sluggishly, Roy grabbed the tip of his undershirt's collar and pulled it away from his body, turning his head to get a better view of it.

If he hadn't the self-control, his cheeks would have instantly turned a shade as striking as the one that tarnished his otherwise pristine white shirt. Right there, clear as day, was a rather obvious pink set of lips. He didn't have to think twice about where the impression had come from, however, knowing full well that it was a consequence of the little 'preview' he had gotten the preceding weekend. And just the very thought of it made him grow warm.

Biting down on his lip, he fought against his body's urge to display the hue, though his concentrated effort was interrupted by Breda's loud guffaw. He shot Breda a glare as Lieutenant Havoc strolled over to see what the ruckus was.

"So who's the lucky lady, Colonel? Anyone we know?"

Roy rolled his eyes and stuffed the collar of his undershirt back into his uniform, at last feeling his cheeks begin to cool. He realized that both Havoc and Breda had seen it, and knew that it was foolish to deny what they had seen. So instead of taking a defensive stance, he shook his head and grumbled, "Who I decide to see is nothing to concern yourselves with. Now get back to work before you have to stay late tonight."

"Aww, c'mon, Colonel," Havoc glowered. "We tell you about our personal lives all the time."

"Yes," Roy confirmed. "All without me asking you. I've heard enough about your sex life with Catalina to never want to even look at her straight again—"

"Because that's what friends do, sir," the blond Lieutenant teased. "We keep each other informed about the others' lives."

As Roy prepared to counter, Breda nudged Havoc in the ribs with his elbow and said, "What d'you think? Tall or short?"

"Definitely shorter," Havoc answered, to which Breda nodded in agreement.

"Blonde or brunette?"

"I'm saying a blonde bombshell," Havoc confidently decreed. "I mean, look at the shade. It would look amazing on a blonde."

Breda shook his head. "I don't disagree, but my money's on a brown-haired babe. Think about it. The color would pop on a face framed by dark hair… Oh! Is she coming to the ball tonight?"

As Havoc began to nod thoughtfully in response to the questions that would follow, Roy huffed and shook his head to disagree. "For the _last time_ , my romantic life is none of your—"

Hearing the door to their shared offices close, all three men stopped and looked up from their discourse to see Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye walk into the room. She raised a curious brow as she took a few steps toward her desk. "Is there something I missed?"

"Yeah," Havoc announced. "Were you aware that the Colonel has a girl? We were completely blindsided!"

Roy's eyes instantly darted to his First Lieutenant, noticing that her posture had stiffened momentarily. Then, regaining her composure, she shook her head and set her papers down on her desk. "No, I wasn't aware, Lieutenant Havoc." Turning her cool gaze toward Roy, she evenly said, "Congratulations, sir. It's good to hear that you're getting out again."

Before Roy could begin to defend himself, Breda called, "You're a woman, Lieutenant. What color hair do you think would go best with…-" He trailed off and turned to his thoughts for a moment.

"—Rose-colored lipstick," Havoc finished, earning himself a nod of approval from his partner-in-crime.

Riza sighed and shook her head. "Yes, Lieutenant Breda. I am, indeed, a woman. But that doesn't necessarily mean I know how to match the colors of lipstick with different shades of hair. I barely wear it myself."

Breda shrugged and raised his palms up in acceptance. "But based on what you know about color schemes, what would _you_ think would be the best?"

Roy watched as her eyes moved between the two men, taking care to allow her gaze to slide over him for too long. When she realized that they would likely pester them until Roy scorched their eyebrows, she said, "If I play along will you two stop teasing the Colonel about his personal life and finish your reports? Because I'd like to get home to prepare for tonight at a reasonable time." The two men nodded eagerly and she relented. "If I had to choose, I would say brunette."

Roy shot her a look of disbelief, wondering why she had decided to fan the flames, which she quickly waved off with a telling glance of her own. Understanding what she was trying to convey, he took a step back and decided to play along. Deception, at that point, was better than allowing them to continue to guess.

A resounding cry of victory erupted to Roy's left, and he instantly dropped his resolve and half-considered searing the two men's eyebrows off anyway. But just as he was about to toss a pointed look of warning toward the two Second Lieutenants, Riza stepped in and said, "A promise is a promise, gentleman," as she picked up another stack of finished papers from her desk. Hugging them tightly to her chest, she continued, "I'm going to go and drop these off in receiving, and I would hope that by the time I return everything will be in order and nearly complete."

"Roger," Havoc replied with a playful wave as he and Lieutenant Breda began to make their way back to their respective desks.

Riza nodded thoughtfully and stopped by the door, resting her hand on the handle. As she opened it, she managed to steal a quick glance toward Roy the moment the two other men had turned their attention back to their work. She quirked a relieved brow and Roy fought the urge to produce a nervous laugh.

That, he silently decided, had been far too close.

* * *

After Hawkeye left the room and the Colonel finally turned his glare back to the paper on his desk, Jean Havoc glimpsed up from his work and managed to catch Heymans's eye. It had been a while since they had ruffled a few feathers, especially when it came to _both_ of their superior officers. But when the opportunity presented itself, they had to have a little fun. Sharing a knowing glance as Breda snickered and shook his head before he would return to his work, the two of them silently agreed: Blonde. The woman in question was undoubtedly blonde.

* * *

Despite having finished his work on time, Roy still raced home at a breakneck speed, showering and dressing himself in the suit he had borrowed for the event in less than a half-hour. Glancing down at his pocket watch as he ascended the stairs to the apartment building he had hurriedly driven to once he had gotten ready, he smiled to himself. Twenty minutes ahead of schedule.

Once he had reached the floor he wanted, he strolled over to apartment number '611.' Taking a few moments before he knocked, he ran his fingers through his slicked back hair and loosened his shoulders. When he had assessed and deemed himself ready, Roy raised his fist to the door and gave it a few short rasps, pausing as the dog inside yipped a few times to alert its master of his arrival. A beat later he heard the soft _click_ of heels against the apartment's wood floor and a quiet _shush_ to silence the dog barking dog. He clasped his hands behind his back and eagerly waited as he heard the door's locks turn. Stiffening his posture and straightening himself, he smiled as the door opened and revealed the culprit who had caused the minor uproar from earlier, and wearing the same stunning high-collared navy gown that was at the center of the whole ordeal.

"You're here early, sir," Riza said as she took a step back and gestured for him to follow. Once he had, she closed the door behind him and added, "I hope you don't mind waiting a little. I was just about to get started on my hair."

After picking his metaphorical jaw off of the floor, he said, "I don't mind at all," as he reached up and pulled at his tie, idly wondering why she kept her apartment so warm.

Rather than retreating to finish working on her appearance, which he believed was completely unnecessary given how she looked at the moment, she took a couple of steps forward and gathered her tie in his hands.

He pulled at his collar again and swallowed. Not only was she sporting the same shade of lipstick as before, she was also wearing an intoxicating perfume. "That was a bit of a close call earlier," he mused as she began to adjust his tie. "I have to say that you kept your cool."

She hummed in reply, fiddling with it for a few moments longer before tightening it. With a satisfied nod, she patted it against his chest and looked back up at him. "It was a bit too close," she affirmed. "I have to say that I was caught a little off-guard when Havoc actually named the shade. I was just relieved that I apparently picked the right color hair to accompany it." Gesturing to the collar of the shirt beneath his suit, she added, "Though you should be more careful when picking out clothes, sir. Especially ones previously worn that you've draped over your chair."

"Oh, trust me," he replied. "I will." When her head bobbed slightly in approval, he nodded toward her and said, "And speaking of the hue in question, I noticed that you've decided to wear it tonight?"

Riza raised her hand to her lips and grazed her fingers over them, as though remembering that she had applied it. "To be honest I put it on a bit absentmindedly tonight and was contemplating changing it before you showed up." When Roy feigned a pout, Riza shook her head. "I have a feeling Havoc can tell lipstick apart by its shade and scent, sir. No reason to garner suspicion by wearing the same exact hue as the mark on your collar."

He sighed. "Fair enough. Though I _will_ reiterate," he added as the corners of his lips curled upward, "That that shade looks incredible on you."

She returned the smile. "Thank you, sir. I'll be sure to keep that in mind the next time there's an affair with fewer in attendance." Roy nodded appreciatively and she added, "I'm going to go see what I can do about removing this and then try to tackle my hair."

Trying, but ultimately failing at looking down at the offending shade again, Roy subconsciously licked his lips. When she seemed to notice, the corner of his lip twitched. "Do you need any help removing it," he asked, the question earning him a curious raise of her brow.

But a beat later when she understood, she reached up and pretended to adjust his collar, and answered teasingly, "I'd love the help, though I would hate to dirty the collar of a second dress shirt, sir."

He chuckled when her 'adjustment' of his collar became more of a hold. "I think we can manage to keep it clean. Luckily I came early in the event that something _did_ happen."

She exhaled softly, the sound akin to a quiet laugh. "Well, I suppose you're right. We do have extra time," she replied, giving his shirt collar a gentle tug.

Following the action she had put in motion, Roy bowed forward and met her halfway, savoring the taste of a familiar rose-colored lipstick.


	3. Count the Stars in Her Eyes

**A/N:** _Eep! A day late! I apologize. Here is the third one-shot for the prompt, "Stars." I hope you all enjoy! Thank you for the favorites, follows and reviews!_

* * *

When his master's daughter, Riza, hadn't returned from her short trip into town Roy had grown worried, despite his teacher's passive claim that it was a common occurrence for her to not immediately return. He had searched for her for well over an hour, stumbling blindly through the dark brush and calling her name. But just as he was about to give up his search and head back to the Hawkeye household with the hope that she would be there, Roy managed to catch sight of a small, dark shape sitting atop a hill situated near the edge of a farmer's field. Taking a few steps toward it, he narrowed his eyes. Without the moon's glow that night, it proved difficult to identify, but from what he could tell it was at the very least a person.

"Hello," he cautiously called. "Is someone there?"

The form turned its head and held its stare with him for a few moments before reluctantly raising a hand. It wasn't exactly an invitation, but he would think of it as one. After jogging up the hill he carefully approached the individual, who was still watching him. And once he had gotten closer, and had a clearer view of them, he instantly recognized her.

"Hey," he said as he slowly eased himself down onto the ground beside his master's daughter. "What are you doing out here so late at night?"

She turned her dark eyes away from him and set her gaze back on the sky above them. "Just looking at the stars," she mused.

"Awesome," he said as he sat back on his hands. "Which constellations are you looking at?" Out of the corner of his eye he saw her shrug.

"I'm not really looking for any in particular," she said. "I'm just admiring them."

"Oh," he said as he moved his focus away from her and toward the night sky. "Well, if you want to know that one right there," he continued as he pointed toward a grouping of stars, "Is Canis Major, the great dog.' And over there is Pegasus, the flying—"

"Thanks," she replied bluntly, "But I really don't care about the shapes that some philosophers decided the stars make."

"Oh, okay," Roy replied with a quick glance toward her, seeing that she hadn't even glanced in the direction he had pointed. Setting his eyes on the starry sky once more, he sat quietly beside her, silently picking out sets of constellations and grouping them in his mind.

"They remind me," she said, suddenly cutting through the silence, "That in the end, I'm small, and practically insignificant." Roy turned toward her and saw that her face had softened. Before he could ask her what she had meant, she continued, "I learned a long time ago the notion of 'one is all, and all is one.' Or what you alchemists would consider one of the principle laws of alchemy. So when my mother died and we buried her, her body became one with the earth, and before long I saw flowers and grass spring up from her grave. The world continues in this endless cycle of death, recycling, and rejuvenation. And yet here we are, lowly human beings trying to live our lives and continue on like we hold some sort of significance to this world, when all we really have is the lives we live. But… I would like to think that we somehow live on amongst the stars, and maybe even become stars ourselves when we die."

Roy sat, stunned. First by the revelation that she, who had been rather dismissive of him before then, had decided to share something with him, and such an intimate belief too. And second because it had never been something he had considered. Though he knew the fundamental principle of alchemy, that 'one was all, and all was one,' he had never stopped to consider what it had meant, that in the end his body was nothing more than a vessel, and would be consumed in some way following his death. And then that led to the tantalizing realization that he had never considered what would happen to his essence – his soul – after he had left this world.

"So what you're saying," he began slowly, "Is that you believe we'll all end up among the stars?"

Riza moved her shoulders up and down. "It's a bit of a silly premise, I know. Especially since I learned that stars are nothing more than burning balls of gas. But still," she continued as a faint smile touched her lips, "I would like to believe that we move on after we die, and that we continue to watch over those we had left behind and protect them. The stars are something that, while not tangible, are still there for me to see. And that's what keeps me moving on."

Roy nodded indolently and stared up at the sky, no longer seeing constellations, but seeing each individual star as its own person, as someone he had lost. Among them, he could see two that were close to each other. So close, in fact, that they almost appeared to be touching. Raising his hand, he pointed toward them. "Those two right there." Out of the corner of his eye he saw her gaze follow where he was pointing until she could see what he was motioning to. "I think that they would be my parents."

"You think or you know?" He looked over at her to see that she had turned her eyes away from the stars to focus on him. "Because it isn't a matter of just picking two. I feel like, if you truly know, you'll figure out who they are. Like this," she said as she lifted her arm and pointed toward a nondescript star that hung on the corner of the night sky. "I'm confident that that is my mother," she continued. "She might not be as big or as beautiful as the other stars in the sky, but I know for certain that it's her and that she's watching over me."

He watched her for a few moments, admiring the way the light in her eyes captured and mirrored the nighttime sky in them. And to him it was so incredibly beautiful. When she blinked and the imagery vanished, she turned toward him and shot him a quizzical look.

Thankful that the darkness concealed the blush that spread across his cheeks, he hurriedly turned his gaze back toward the small cluster of stars he had set his eyes on before and sat back on his hands again. "I think," he began slowly, "That it's a beautiful thought. And I think – No – I know that those two stars are my parents." And at that moment he firmly believed it. After searching for and almost instantaneously finding them again, he felt his stomach roll with familiarity. As though he had known them…

"I'm glad," she said, directing his attention away from the stars as she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around her legs. "The thought just makes me feel better."

He nodded and returned her sentiments with a small smile.

She dipped her head in response before turning her focus toward the star at the edge of the sky once more. But instead fixating her gaze on it, she instead closed her eyes for a few moments, ducked her head, and murmured a few words under her breath. And when she had finished her brief moment of silence, she opened her eyes and raised her head as a small smile spread across her face. Shifting her look toward him, she said, "Ready to go? It's starting to get late."

"Of course," he said, getting to his feet and then offering a hand to her.

Riza hesitated for a moment, but then nodded in thanks and slid her hand into his. Then he helped hoist her to her feet and find her balance. But rather than immediately drawing her hand away, she kept it locked in his for a few moments longer before giving his a small squeeze of gratitude, and finally pulling it away. "Thank you," she said with a small nod. "And thank you for listening to my thoughts."

"You're welcome," Roy replied with a grin. "I really liked hearing them. Please let me know if you ever want someone to come out here with you."

She looked down at her feet momentarily, but then seemed to regain her confidence and looked up, giving him another nod in eager agreement. And once again, he saw the way her eyes lit up much like the stars they had reflected before, and silently hoped she would bring him along again soon.

* * *

With a content sigh, Roy Mustang sat back on the cool grass with his aching hands and stared up at the night sky. Though the past few years had been difficult, he relished the fact that he could still find time to seek out the stars they had named when he and Riza were younger. The very thought of their time together, when they were young, played upon his lips as he took a deep breath of the crisp air that hung around him. These were the nights they had lived for.

Nights where they would talk about their dreams. Their ambitions. Both of them with stars in their eyes.

And after all that time, all that dedication, their dreams had finally become reality. As the current Fuhrer-President, Roy had done everything he had set out to do, and for the first time in a long time, there was peace. And Riza… She had been with him every step of the way. So every chance he got, he would sit outside and watch the stars, a sort of homage to her if one would. Because of her, he no longer saw the stars as clusters of constellations, but instead saw them as individuals, each of them with a unique story to tell.

The sky that night was exceptionally clear. So much so that he could not only make out his parents, but the star she had pointed out as her mother as well, and even the speck they had designated as her father. And her grandfather. And there, directly north, the most luminous one was—

His thoughts were interrupted by the crunch of grass, and a moment thereafter he was greeted by something wet lodging itself into his ear. Roy chuckled as the familiar Akita-type dog brushed her nose over his face and gave his cheek a languid lick before eagerly settling down beside him.

"Hey," he heard Riza say as she glided her hand over his shoulder, pressing down slightly on it as she began to ease herself toward the grass on his other side.

The smile on his face widened. Reaching out and helping her support herself as she sat on the grass beside him, he said, "Hey yourself."

The corners of her lips curved upward and she shook her head as she edged from her knees to a cross-legged position, making sure to take her time. After all, both of them certainly hadn't the energy they had over twenty years ago…

As she fiddled with the small assortment of items she had brought outside with her in a bag, Roy couldn't help but take the opportunity to drink in her appearance. She had hardly changed in her appearance throughout the years, her hair still its luminous blonde, give or take a few silver hairs. Roy would tease her on occasion about it, but would cite his own too. She would shake her head with a light laugh and say that he was the reason for them, and the corners of her eyes would wrinkle in the most beautiful way when she would give him that elusive smile in return.

"I brought a blanket," she said, interrupting his thoughts as she spread it out over her lap and his.

"Thank you," he said as he tugged a corner toward him, making sure that he left enough to cover her as well.

"So," Riza said as she gestured toward the sky. "Have you found them yet?"

"I have indeed," he replied as he took her hand in his and lifted it, using it as a pointer. "Over there is your mother. And right there is your grandfather. And over there," he added, pointing to the two stars that were paired together, "Are my parents."

Riza nodded before motioning generally to the sky with her free hand. "And your aunt…?"

Roy chuckled and lightly smacked his forehead with his palm with his free hand. "Of course. How could I possibly forget her?" He dipped his head toward it and added, "To the north. Just like in life, she's the most descript and the brightest."

Riza hummed in agreement. "It only makes sense that she'd be a northern star too. Especially given how much guidance she gave you in life."

"True," he replied. "Though I could say the same for you." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her glance toward him. Turning his head toward her to catch sight of her eyes in the moonless night, he elaborated, "She definitely put me on the path my life took, but you were the one that made sure I stayed on it."

Her smile in return was warm and her expression knowing. "And I'll continue to make sure you stay on that path, even after I'm gone."

Roy shook his head. "You know won't happen for a long, _long_ time."

She exhaled softly and nodded. "I know. But I feel that I need to make the point clear."

"It's very clear," he assured her. "But it's also clear that fifty is hardly a death sentence anymore."

The corners of her lips curved upward into a faint smile. "You said that about my early retirement too."

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "And look at that," he said softly. "You're still here."

And for that he could not be more grateful…

It had happened in the infancy of his leadership, barely three years past the date of his inauguration. He had been careless and had ordered two of the men from his security detail to watch a gate on the eastern side of the arena he spoke in, when in reality he should have kept them near. Because if he had, the man likely wouldn't have made it past them to where he and Riza were standing. She had kept her eyes peeled, focused, on gazing out for the glint of gunmetal that would have been cast on that clear autumn day, but the thought hadn't crossed her mind that he would have taken a more direct approach.

Riza reacted quickly, stopping the man, who Roy later learned was a pacifist that feared recent negotiations with Aerugo would lead to war, before he could drive his hunting knife into Roy as a sign of rebellion. His momentum had taken her by surprise, and the two of them were caught off-balance and fell. In the end, the corner of the podium Roy had been standing at had been far crueler than anything his would-be attacker could have done.

Dr. Knox's son, a newly minted specialist, told them that only time would tell once the swelling inside her head went down, but said right off the bat they should be happy that she was alive. And they were. But once she had moved out of the red and days passed, turning into weeks, and weeks into months, and finally months into years, it became clear to them that the effects of the fall had become permanent.

In a sick twist of fate, it had been the legendary Hawk's Eye that had indefinitely lost her keen sight.

Despite that, Riza had been the one of the two that had taken it in greater stride. Her short bout of dependence was abolished by the introduction of the happy-go-lucky Katana, an eager-to-please dog that would snap to attention whenever Riza uttered her a word or command. But even so, her position as Roy's assistant was not to be. After all, sight was a necessity for the Fuhrer's right hand.

Her retirement was quiet and very few people batted an eye when she had transitioned from her home to the Fuhrer's estate, knowing full well that her condition would only attract people who wanted nothing more than to see him suffer. And with no other family to call her own, it was only natural that she would choose to remain near the person she was closest to. If the public could see their relationship once there, however, it would almost seem as though she had never left his command. Because it seemed as though she had improved on her ability to tell when he was procrastinating from his duties and would often remind him of what they actually were.

While the arrangement gave them the opportunity to continue watching over the other, it also had an extra advantage for Roy, because he knew what it was like to live in a world of perpetual darkness. Because of that, he took every opportunity to be her eyes, just how she had been all those years ago. Especially during nights like these…

He draped his arm around her and pulled her close. She followed suit and rested her head on his shoulder with a quiet hum of content. Out of the corner of his eye he could see her brown-eyes fixated on the sky, and just like in their youth, they mirrored the masterpiece that was spread out above them.

And though he couldn't help it, Roy selfishly wished that she could see them, and see the way her eyes reflected the stars.


	4. When the World Forgot, We Remembered

**A/N:** _Here's my entry for day four: "Forgotten." This was a collaboration between MethodforMadness on DeviantArt. Here is the link to it!: art/Royai-Week-2016-Forgotten-613937808. (Just remove the space!) It's seriously amazing!_

* * *

"They're back…"

A beat after those words left her lips, a resounding cry erupted from the crowd that had gathered around the transmutation circle Edward had disappeared over minutes ago. But now instead of a single figure at its center, two forms, one standing tall and the other hunched and hidden beneath Edward's bright red jacket, were inside of it. Both Edward and Alphonse had returned and their bodies appeared to be intact.

They won. All of them had won…

Feeling a tug on her coat sleeve, she peered over at her superior officer to see that his grey eyes were widened, fixated on the area the boys were standing. As the cry began to die down, he murmured, "They're back? Both of them?"

Riza hastily moved her head up and down as tears pricked the corners of her eyes. "Yes, sir." Another yell drew her attention back to the circle, but not before she managed to catch the beginnings of a smile on the Colonel's face.

What had followed would remain a baffling topic of debate in the back of her mind for the remainder of that day. Because one moment she was on her feet beside the Colonel, celebrating the revival of the two brothers, and the next she was tipped back and plummeting toward the ground. Her hand instinctively reached up to grasp onto something solid, something to anchor herself to, but it fell short when her descent had suddenly stopped as Roy grabbed onto her waist and tucked his arm behind her neck.

What happened a breath later she had initially blamed on the lightheadedness induced by her sudden fall. But then again, she supposed that it was possible receiving a kiss from Roy Mustang could induce the same dizzying effect. One thing that she was certain of, however, was that the moment his lips crashed against hers, she felt a spark pass between them and rush through her, radiating from her lips to the very tips of her fingers and toes.

The immediate shock wore off and a beat later she felt herself instinctively succumb to the intoxicatingly sweet taste of his lips and the warmth they brought her. Riza's mind stalled when it tried to process the meaning behind his action, forgetting the notion that they had stood just moments before waiting for the arrival of the Elric brothers and instead felt her body give in. Remembered. Her eyes fluttered closed and she accepted it, parting her lips to better greet him.

She silently damned him for pinning her arm and had to fight the urge to contest his hold in order to pull it out from his grip and draw herself even closer to him. But no sooner had she thought that, she felt his warmth leave and herself being lowered. Opening her eyes as her body came to rest on the ground beneath their feet, she looked up and saw that he was kneeling over her, his hands working themselves up to support her body and her head. His unseeing eyes tried to focus themselves on where he seemed to believe her face was and he uttered, "Are you alright," his brows furrowed and his expression alarmed.

Riza opened her mouth to respond but then promptly shut it as she tried to realign her thoughts and the brief timeline of events that had just occurred. Because what had just happened and what she thought had happened were two completely different scenarios in her mind.

Had she just imagined it all…?

Then that led to the tantalizing realization that she had imagined that of all things in regard to her superior officer. And at a time like that no less—

"Colonel Mustang! Lieutenant Hawkeye!"

The Colonel's head snapped up as Major Armstrong lumbered over to them and knelt down next to Riza.

"Are you alright," he asked from beneath his mustache as he leaned over.

Riza squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to fight off the lightheadedness that had begun to cloud her mind, but eventually shook her head and opened them again. "Yeah… I'm alright."

"Do you remember what happened before you collapsed," he asked concernedly. "By the time I looked over I saw the Colonel lowering you to the ground."

"I…," she began before trailing off as her mind wandered to the what had happened. Or at least, what she had perceived had happened. Feeling her cheeks grow warm, she was quick to roll her head side to side. "No… I don't."

The Major nodded then turned his attention to the Colonel. Carefully placing his massive hand on her superior officer's shoulder, he asked the same of him.

The Colonel shook his head. "She began to lean against me and by the time I had turned around she had begun to fall. I caught her on the way down but…" He turned his unseeing eyes toward her, brows knitting together, "More importantly I want to make sure that she's taken care of. She lost a lot of blood earlier."

Major Armstrong dipped his head. "Of course, sir." Turning his focus to her, he held his arms out, palms up, and murmured, "Lieutenant?"

Riza nodded and he carefully slipped his arms beneath her legs and behind her neck, and then began to lift her.

Feeling her pull away, the Colonel clumsily reached out and found her arm, forcing the Major to pause. She held her breath as he parted his lips. But just when she thought he was going to say what seemed to be on his mind, he refrained. His grip loosened and his hand slipped down her arm, brushing over her fingers before he pulled it away.

"Do you need any assistance, Colonel," Major Armstrong rumbled.

The Colonel nodded indolently, his unseeing eyes flickering back and forth as he tried to identify where the Major's face was. "If you could, Major, it would be greatly appreciated."

"Of course, sir," the muscled-man replied, moving his arm to brush it against the Colonel's shoulder.

Roy reached up and clumsily groped around the air until the Major moved his arm again. When he found it, he rested his hand against the lower-ranking officer's arm and took a few steps forward to set the pace. Armstrong complied with his silent signal and began to advance.

After taking a few steps, Roy ran his free hand up his own arm and felt around until he could make sense of where his occupied hand was. And when he had, and had righted himself, he slowly edged it along until he found Riza's hair. He brushed his fingers through it until he found her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.

She turned her head toward him, though it was difficult to do without tugging at the wound on her neck. Instead she carefully reached up and wrapped her fingers around his, returning his signal and letting him know that she was still with him.

* * *

The rustle of bedsheets pulled Riza from her relatively light sleep and she opened her eyes, finding herself immersed in darkness. She blinked a few times to chase away her feeling of lightheadedness, trying to remember where she was and what had happened that put her there. But when it did not immediately come to her she rolled her head to the side and discovered that there was a long, narrow tube connected to her arm. Riza gasped and jerked her arm, only to find that the action only aggravated the skin beneath the tape that attached it to her. She made a move to grab at it and pull it away but stopped when she realized that it was an IV line.

Then the memories slowly began to pour back into her mind.

The Promised Day had come and gone. They had won. And the Elric brothers had regained their bodies. Suddenly feeling hyperaware of her lips, she reached up and gingerly brushed her fingers over them. And after that… She had… Protested her separation from Roy and had fought tooth and nail to see him again. And when they had finally relented to her demands, she and the Colonel were reunited in a small hospital room.

But every opportunity she had to talk to him was impeded by a flurry of nurses or members of their concerned team delivering news from outside the hospital to them. The time after that, when the sun began to set, however, had grown fuzzy and disjointed in her mind. An effect of the medications they used to numb the sutured line on her throat no doubt.

Reaching up to run her fingers over the bandages around her neck, she idly decided that she must have fallen asleep shortly thereafter. Meaning that the Colonel had been left alone…–

With a muted gasp, she turned her head toward the small bed that was situated on the other side of her and saw that she wasn't alone in her wakefulness.

Seated on the edge of his bed, head bowed and the fingers of his hands laced together, was Roy.

"Colonel…?"

He jumped slightly when he heard her voice, and turned his eyes toward her. But when they did not immediately find her, he uttered, "…Lieutenant?"

"I'm here," she reaffirmed softly, drawing his unseeing eyes back toward her.

Despite the darkness, she could see his shoulders slump as a slight look of relief crossed his face. "Are you alright," he asked slowly.

She nodded, but then remembered that he wouldn't be able to detect signal. Swallowing back the sudden wave of dread that accompanied that realization, she murmured, "I'm alright, sir. More importantly, how are you?"

He shook his head and replied, "I'm fine." His tone, however, indicated that he was far from being fine. It sounded reluctant, almost nervous.

But then again, she realized as she watched his eyes slowly scan the room, he had every right to be apprehensive. Less than twenty-four hours ago he had his sight taken from him, torn away because their enemy required a fifth and final sacrifice. And now he was left in a perpetual state of darkness.

He had every right to be fearful… But he didn't have to dwell on those feelings alone.

"Sir," Riza said again gently. "What else is wrong?"

His lips parted in response, and for a second she thought he would speak. But then, much to her disappointment, he pursed his mouth closed and sighed. Out of the corner of her eye she could see his fingers curling into a fist and uncurling over and over again. A nervous trait of his she recognized when he was still her father's apprentice. It was something she learned to look for when interacting with him. The habit had become much more prominent in Ishval and even more so in the aftermath, oftentimes manifesting itself during a high-profile meeting or before one of their riskier missions. She learned quickly that all it took most of the time was a smile and words of reassurance.

But for those times when he had fallen further into the recesses of his mind than a smile would take, she would find time to privately discuss it with him. And most days he would give in to her concerns without a second thought and tell her what had been on his mind. But now, during a time where they needed the support of the other most, he had chosen to fall silent. It wasn't something she could force out of him, no matter how much she wanted to try and comfort him. Still, the thought that he did not want to share his reflections with her stung.

She bit back a small sigh of discouragement and her shoulders slumped, telling herself that he would tell her when he was ready. But just as she was about to retract her question, he finally closed his eyes and murmured, "I was just… Thinking about everything that has happened. The Our victory… The Elric brothers… My sight… And your neck." Reaching up, he brushed his fingertips over his eyes. "It's all just so… overwhelming."

"I understand, sir. All of it… It's difficult to process," she replied as she pushed her covers off and swung her legs over the side of her bed, wanting to go to him and give him something tangible. He lifted his head as she padded across the floor to him, IV bag and stand in tow, and did not flinch when she rested a hand on his shoulder and quietly announced her presence to him. When he bobbed his head, she sank down onto the mattress beside him, their combined weight causing it to bow beneath them. Neither one objected or fought it, instead leaning into each other. Resting her temple ever so slightly against his shoulder, Riza closed her eyes and slowly exhaled. He, in turn, gently brushed his fingers over her knee and hovered his hand over her leg until he found hers. Closing his fingers around it, he gave it a gentle squeeze.

"I thought I had lost you," he muttered, resting his head against hers. "One of the last things these eyes saw was you covered in your own blood, barely able to stand on your own two feet. And from the time I disappeared to the time I was brought back together with you, you were always in the back of my mind."

"I thought I had lost you too," she whispered as she leaned more of her weight against him. "When you vanished through that portal, I didn't know what state you would be in, or if you were even still alive. I…" she trailed off, feeling her words catch in her throat as the fear that she had felt eased its way back into her mind. She had seen what the Truth had done to that gold-toothed doctor, and she had honestly feared the worst for her superior officer once she remembered how cruel it had been to the Elric brothers. The very thought of him writhing on the ground without an arm or a leg or even some of his insides had almost been too much for her to stomach.

Roy shifted slightly, the action drawing her out of her thoughts. Before he could voice his concern, she murmured, "I was terrified that the Elric brothers' fate had befallen you too. But," she continued as his grip on her hand tightened, "When I saw you again and you asked if I could still fight, I felt this odd sense of relief. In the end, your determination to keep going gave me the strength to carry on and continue to fight alongside you." Riza slowly opened her eyes and peered across the dark room, barely able to make out the shapes of the stilled machines that had been alive and humming before she had fallen asleep. She could vaguely recall hearing the Colonel over their purrs as he begged for details regarding her condition during her small bouts of consciousness.

Riza realized that this was the first time since they had been reunited beneath Central Command that they were able to speak for a prolonged period of time. Very few words were exchanged since the beginning of the deciding fight, and barely any were uttered the moments after the Elric brothers had returned with their bodies intact. She knew that their lack of contact thereafter, with only a few utterances from members of a third party relaying their conditions about one to the other, had led to a state of fear for the both of them. With a small sigh, she added, "I apologize for worrying you after that, sir. It seems that that strength had run out a little too early."

She heard him take a quiet breath, and for a moment she thought that he was going to agree. Instead, he reestablished something she had pushed to the back of her mind. "No, I'm sorry, Lieutenant," he answered softly. "Though my worry was already a given, I certainly didn't do myself, or you especially, any favors when I swung you off your feet like that."

It took her a few moments, but when the notion of being swept off her feet finally clicked, she hastily moved her head out from beneath his and shot him a quizzical look.

He too raised his head, focusing his somber gaze on where he likely guessed her face to be. He chewed his lip for a moment, grey eyes flushed with uncertainty as she tried to piece together what his words had meant, because she had dismissed it as a side-effect of her dizzy spell. But now his confession had her mind reeling as she realized that it hadn't been something her body's response to her blood loss had concocted for her. Riza instinctively reached up with the hand he had been holding moments before and grazed her fingers over her lips as she came to the conclusion that had been sitting in the back of her mind.

He had kissed her.

Roy exhaled slowly and his shoulders slumped. "I understand if you're upset, Lieutenant. What I did was incredibly unprofessional."

She opened her mouth to speak, and found that any and all words she had could have possibly formulated in response had vanished. Riza pulled her hand away from her lips and glanced down at it for a moment, as though her fingers would somehow have a confirmatory mark on them. Of course they wouldn't, and she shook her head as she tore her eyes away from it to look at her superior officer again. "Roy," she managed to utter as she once again found her bearings, "I'm not upset or angry. I just… Hadn't anticipated something like that. In all honesty, I thought I had imagined it, and I had dismissed it as a consequence of my body losing blood."

He shook his head and muttered, "It definitely wasn't your imagination, and I wouldn't be surprised if you thought I was crazy."

"Sir," she iterated, placing a hand on his knee, prompting him to turn his unseeing gaze toward her yet again, "We've been together long enough. I don't think there's anything you could say that would make me think you're crazy."

He exhaled quietly through his nose and squared his shoulders, as though preparing himself for a long-winded explanation, before saying, "I guess you could say that I forgot."

Though not crazy, the confession had taken a different direction from what Riza had anticipated. Her brows knitted together. "'Forgot,' sir?"

He slowly nodded. "It's a bit difficult to put into words, but I hope I can at least give you my honest thoughts." She gave his knee a gentle squeeze, silently asking for him to continue. He closed his eyes and sighed, as though he were organizing his thoughts. "At that moment," he finally began as he opened his eyes, "Everything hit me. I realized it wasn't just another battle won. The nation as we knew it had suddenly crumbled beneath our feet and left us standing on air. No longer would we be part of the Amestris that had been, and would instead become part of a new, somewhat terrifying world. But in the span of that time, for just a single moment, it felt as though we were suspended in limbo; stuck in a present that was not a part of what had been and what would be. The lines had blurred and I felt as though I had forgotten what it was like to be on either side of it."

His pause left more questions than answers, and Riza's lips parted to ask him to clarify once more, failing to understand what he could have possibly forgotten that led to him to kiss her.

He sighed and shook his head. "I'm probably not making any sense, am I?"

"No, sir," she replied. "I'm afraid I'm still not following."

"Fair enough," he admitted with a small shrug of his shoulders. "Maybe if I put it a different way."

Riza nodded, then realized moments later that he wouldn't have been able to see her. "Yes, sir. If you can."

The Colonel bobbed his head in an almost nervous fashion and chewed his lower lip. After taking a couple of moments to reorganize his thoughts, he cleared his throat and asked, "Have you ever felt like the world has forgotten you? That something so significant happens that you simply fade out of the world's eye?"

She realized that his question was rhetorical, but she still felt the need to answer him. Giving his knee another soft squeeze, she saw his eyebrows raise and then he nodded.

"Well," he continued slowly, "To me that's what happened. For that second it felt as though the world had forgotten us, and I in turn forgot it. And instead all that I did know was that you were there, standing next to me. Exhausted from the fight with your weight leant on me, but still very much alive. I guess you could say that at that moment I forgot who we were too. Or rather, what our ranks were.

"I only saw us as we were that very second; just Roy and Riza. Both of which had just survived the fight of their lives. And just thinking about that and how close I had been to losing you… Well," he raised his bandaged hands and gestured to try and convey his feelings, though he only ended up groping at air. Seeming annoyed by his loss for words, he shook his head and murmured, "I apologize for my brashness, Lieutenant. I acted without thinking, and could have possibly jeopardized everything."

He attempted to cast her an apologetic look and she shook her head. "You don't have to say you're sorry, sir. I was just… caught off-guard. And besides," she added, "I don't think anyone saw. I'm pretty sure if anyone noticed, we would know. And if he had seen us, the Major would be in here right now instructing you on how to serenade me the Armstrong family way."

Her words seemed to help, eliciting a light chuckle from her superior officer. "I suppose you're right. Though if anyone asks, I'll tell them that it was all me. You were just an innocent bystander that happened to be standing next to me."

She exhaled through her nose, the sound akin to that of a small laugh. When his hand tightened around hers in response, she said, "If that time comes, we'll work through it. Together," moving to once again press her side against his. He followed suit, resting his cheek on top of her head as his thumb caressed the side of her hand.

Riza closed her eyes and relaxed, relishing the peace the dark hospital room brought to them, as well as the warmth of his body against hers. She felt natural sitting there leaning against him, marveling at just how well their bodies conformed to the other's. As though they were meant to be that way… They remained there for what seemed like hours, the only sounds being their own breaths or the occasional hum of a machine in an adjacent room. After some time Riza felt her head nod, and promptly tried to correct it, nuzzling into his shoulder as he shifted to accommodate her adjustment.

"… I love you."

The confession hardly seemed a revelation, and instead was more of a declaration of what they both had already known. Still, nothing stopped her from uttering the same phrase in return. And when she had, she felt an odd sense of liberation. As though whatever invisible chains that had been set on their relationship had fractured and shattered, freeing them from their unspoken boundaries.

Roy shifted and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. The action, though unexpected, felt natural. Although… "If you plan on sweeping me off my feet, I would like a little more warning next time, alright," she mused. He drew back from her and she looked into his deep grey eyes.

All of the tension, all of the worry he had been holding onto seemed to vanish as her request sunk in. Then he chuckled and shook his head. Reaching up, he slowly eased his hand forward until he brushed it over her cheek, skirting along her jawline until he reached her chin. Tipping her head slightly, a gentle smile crossed his lips and he murmured, "Is this warning enough?"

Her answer, unspoken, was clear when she dipped forward and pressed her lips against his, once again feeling that spark pass between them.

Riza realized that before this day, she had forgotten what it felt like to kiss him, to bring down her walls and allow herself to love irrevocably. She had forgotten the way his lips tasted and the rare softness they had. The way he would always return it with vigor equal to hers.

The way he would hold her. As though he could never let her go.

And now that those walls had crumbled, and that spark had been reignited, she knew that she would never forget again.


End file.
